Watch 30 Civilians Try To Pass SOF Selection In New Reality Show

An upcoming HISTORY Channel reality television show will put 30 everyday people with no military background through intense training designed to mimic the selection programs of the military’s elite Special Operations Forces.

In the eight-episode series, titled “The Selection: Special Operations Experiment,” the participants are subjected to tear gas, interrogation simulation, and psychological warfare. Based on the trailer, there’s a lot of ice baths, ruck marches, and sit-ups in the surf, too.

“The Selection” is not a competition series, there’s no cash reward at the end, and participants are pushed to the breaking point by their six instructors, all of whom are combat veterans from Navy SEAL, Green Beret, and Army Ranger units.

According to HISTORY, the show’s civilian participants are men and women between 21 and 45 years old who signed on for “an epic journey of self-discovery, facing their biggest fears and testing their will to survive.”

The aim of the show is to highlight the rigorous screening process that Special Operations Forces must pass — four out of five service members seeking to join these elite units fail.

“‘The Selection’ will offer civilians the unique opportunity to take part in an immersive, authentic course instructed by different branches leading together, while giving viewers insight into the origins of these challenges,” said Paul Cabana, the executive vice president and head of programming at HISTORY in a press release.

The first episode of “The Selection,” from executive producer Peter Berg who also directed “Lone Survivor” and “Friday Night Lights,” airs on Dec. 8 at 10 p.m. eastern time on the HISTORY Channel.

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